Verve Product Parade

Have you checked out the September Product Parade going on over on the Verve blog??? If not, you HAVE to see it - it's totally Kraft-tabulous!!! The deal is that you are supposed to use Kraft (or other natural-ish fibers) in your project and link it up to this post by noon on Sept 30. There's $15 in Verve bucks up for grabs!!!



So I bought these really cute frames a few weeks ago at our local Ben Franklin - it was a great find as I typically don't have much luck in that store (don't get me started on the lack of craft related shopping on this island!!!). Anyway, I bought a few thinking they looked like perfect alterable projects, and you all know how I love my alterables!!! When I saw that the Product Parade Challenge was to use Kraft, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. We recently decided to redo our master bedroom. While my MIL was here this summer I picked out some really RAD fabric for a new quilt (yep, I have the best MIL in the WORLD). Anyway, the colors are nice soft browns, creams, and blues (think Kraft and Baja Breeze). I'm going to be throwing in some reds for accents. Soooo, the idea for this little number was born...

I kept the project pretty simple because I wanted the main focus to be the photograph of my son and I. It is one of the first pictures taken of us - my husband snapped it about 15 minutes after he was born and I just love it. Also, it's the ONLY picture of me taken within about 4 days of his birth in which I don't look hideous and that I will ever allow to be viewed by the public!!! (if we're honest, this is probably the real reason I like it so much!). Anyway, obviously I used some Kraft CS along with Riding Hood Red CS and some Baja Breeze ribbon. I stamped the background stamp from Verve's Artful Elegance in Versamark Ink and embossed with white powder on the Riding Hood Red for the bottom portion of the frame. The sentiment is from Verve's All About You set, stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Kraft CS. The Riding Hood Red and Baja Breeze flowers (which are popped up on varying depths of dimensionals) are from Verve's Grateful Elegance and were also stamped in Versamark ink and embossed with white powder. I used my nestabilities to cut out the scalloped Chocolate Chip mat for the sentiment box. The whole thing was Mod Podged to the frame and it was done!!! Oh wait, I almost forgot...I added some pewter brads to the flower centers. Here's a closer look:
So there you have it. What do you think?

On another note...I tried selling some of my things in the Lahaina Craft Fair today (it's once a month at the Lahaina Civic Center for you local folks). What a complete and total waste of time!!! I sold a grand total of $10 (yes that's correct...ten dollars) worth of stuff and not one single card. I was very shocked. I feel that my prices were quite reasonable (my cards were priced at $2 each). I did hear from several of the craft fair veterans that it was an extremely slow day. However, when the booth rental is $80....well, I doubt I'll be doing that again. Now what to do with all this darn stuff I made???? I have missed out on so many things (challenges, chats, etc etc etc) in the past month because I've been so busy mass producing cards and notebooks, etc to get ready. I really anticipated doing quite well. Trying not to take it personally. Ugh. LOTS to add to my Etsy store in the coming weeks I guess!!!